Rocking with Sparta, NJ Rocks

By Laurie Gordon
SPARTA — Jamie Camacho, of Sparta, has brought something new to town. It's called Sparta, NJ Rocks and it brings both a new fun game and appreciation of nature.
“Sparta, NJ Rocks began this past April. However, the idea was inspired by my eight-year old daughter and niece,” Camacho said, “Prior to moving to Sparta, we lived in Pennsylvania and they had a rock group in the community we lived in. Throughout our daily walks, we would find these beautifully decorated rocks throughout the town. After finding a few of them, we noticed on the back they suggested posting the rocks to a Facebook group. There we found thousands of people who were part of the 'rock hunting' community. Not only are the rocks beautifully decorated, but many of them have inspirational quotes. So when you find a rock it just puts a smile on your face, for both children and adults.”
She added, “When we moved to Sparta, my daughter Hailey asked why we weren't finding any rocks. After doing some research, I noticed there were no rock groups in the town or county. So that is how Sparta, NJ Rocks started. We wanted to bring this simple, yet fun experience to our community and surrounding areas.I wanted a sense of community to continue and this simple activity was just that. I wanted to encourage an activity for children and families to participate in where they could explore our town, get out in nature and have fun.”
Since starting in April, Sparta, NJ Rocks has over 400 families within its Facebook group (Sparta, NJ Rocks) that participate.
Camacho explained, “Each day the families share photos of their children who have found a rock, hid a rock, or families bonding together over painting the rocks. I run the group by myself and it truly brings me so much joy when I see photos of the kids smiling, especially when they find their first rock. I also hope it could bring joy and happiness to a person who may have had a rough day and finds a rock with an inspiration quote. The mission behind this group is simple - bring joy to others and the community as a whole. From families getting together to paint, to getting outside more and exploring the beautiful community we live in and to lifting someone's spirit. These rocks are meant just for that, to spread happiness through painted rocks.”
Once the Facebook group was started and Camacho's daughters and she painted about 50 rocks, they began to hide them throughout the community. “I then added some local friends to the group, asked them to spread the word and add their friends who lived within the Sparta area,” Camacho said. “Within one week, the group had over 100 members. Members seemed so thrilled to participate and it is so wonderful to see friends and families together around their kitchen tables painting rocks.”
HOW DOES IT ROCK AND ROLL?
Children, parents, families will paint a stone and anonymously leave the rock in a location within Sparta. Usually they are hidden where children frequent such as ice cream parlors, candy shops, parks, etc., but they can also be hidden in other areas as long as it is a safe area that is open to the public. They are left for others to find, and once they are found, the hope is that people share a photo of the rock within the Facebook group, Sparta, NJ Rocks. “It's like a non-stop hide and seek game,” Camacho said. “ We do ask participants that hide the rocks to tag the back of the rocks with our Facebook group. It brings so much joy to the kids and families who painted rocks to have others find them. After the rocks are found, I do suggest that the 'finder' re-hide the rock for someone else to discover. Or if they choose to keep the rock, I ask that they create and hide a new rock. The rock hiding craze has spread throughout the entire US and I'm thrilled to bring it to our beautiful community.”
In her professional life, Camacho runs a local small business called Jamie’s Play Café which is a mommy and me educational program. “We’ve encouraged our families to continue to help spread the word of the rock hunting group so that this can flourish throughout the community and bring joy to many more,” she said.
To find the Facebook group, plug in Sparta, NJ Rocks on Facebook.